1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing equipment and more particularly to devices for securing, storing, and organizing fishing baits and lures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fishermen carry a large variety of baits and lures in tackle devices that they use during fishing excursions. They carry a multitude of lures and baits, because different types of lures work best for certain fish and under different weather and water conditions. One of the most common types of lures is a "plastic worm", which is a worm-shaped lure made of a soft rubber material. Presently, several plastic worm and other soft-bait manufacturers market their products in plastic bags or self-sealing plastic bags for ease of use and storage. Unfortunately these bags are not designed for storage and access in conventional tackle boxes. The invention herein described is meant to allow the fisherman to store his bags of lures and soft baits in an easily accessible, secure, and organized manner, while retaining the use of the existing bags provided by the bait manufacturers.
Fishing baits and lures are often stored in plastic tackle boxes by means of a series of partitioned shelves. The tackle box is designed with compartmentalized shelves that telescope outward to expose each shelf by an expandable hinge when opened, and that collapse together when the tackle box is closed. Some current tackle boxes are simple boxes with hinged plastic covers and with a multitude of compartments for storing baits and lures. Most tackle boxes include a large non-compartmented storage area at the bottom of the box to store the necessities of fishing tackle, including spools of monofilament fishing line, knives, hooks, sinkers, pliers, etc. It is in this area of the tackle box where most fishermen store their bags of soft baits with little organization or ease of access.
Several disadvantages of the conventional fishing tackle box, as well as with other storage methods, are apparent. First, the lures and baits can become entangled by their hooks and eyelets when more than one are placed in a storage compartment. This entanglement is frustrating to the fisherman because he must pull the lures apart in order to use an individual lure. Second, plastic worms and various other soft baits are typically sold in self-sealing plastic bags that are labeled for the type of bait, weight, length, and color. These plastic bags are usually impregnated with a special lubricant to prevent the lures from drying out and to keep them from sticking together. Also, some bait manufacturers include a proprietary scent in the lubricant that they claim enhances the attractiveness of the bait to fish. The typical fishing tackle box only provides for the storage of these baits either in the bag or out of the bag. If the fisherman wishes to store an entire worm bag in a compartment of the tackle box, he must fold the bag (thereby possibly occluding the information on the bag) and place it in the compartment. This method of storing worm bags and other soft bait bags does not provide proper organization or identification when the fisherman wishes to find and use a particular bait. With the proliferation of numerous plastic worms and soft baits, past methods of storing these types of baits in a typical tackle box have become insufficient and inefficient.
Third, some plastic worm and soft-bait manufacturers do not provide self-sealing bags or containers to store their products. Without a self-sealing strip, these bags are typically very easy to open and subject to having their contents spill out, thereby requiring the fisherman to store the contents either in a recloseable bag (such as a serf-sealing food bag), or, less preferably, in one of the exposed compartments of the tackle box. Either storage method usually exposes the lure to sunlight, water, and other weather conditions, thereby significantly increasing the weathering and discoloring of the lure. Plastic worms and soft baits are especially susceptible to drying-out when exposed to air, heat, and water for several days. They also have a tendency to decompose under these conditions and melt in the compartment in which they are stored. If the hooks attached to some baits and lures are not manufactured from stainless steel or brass, they tend to corrode over time under the constant presence of salt and fresh water. This hook corrosion problem is increasing, because galvanized steel hooks, which corrode easily, are becoming more popular with fishermen, especially for offshore fishing, because they break down if they are left in the fish's mouth upon release, thus providing an ecological benefit.
Fourth, most tackle boxes are made of hard plastic and can be quite large, thereby causing damage to fiberglass boats and presenting difficulty of storage in the boat. The typical tackle box is difficult to maneuver on a boat and has a tendency to spill easily, dumping a good portion of the contents into the boat, causing great frustration to the fisherman. Because it is difficult to position and maneuver a large tackle box on a fisherman's lap when he is sitting down on a boat seat, the fisherman usually places the tackle box on the deck of the boat. When opened, the tackle box is an easy target for accidental spillage during fishing.
One of the ways in which the recreational fishing industry has addressed the problems of the conventional tackle box was to develop so-called "soft tackle" systems. Most of these systems employ a three-ring or two-ring binder system sewn into a nylon, zippered case. These systems provide pre-punched, serf-sealing plastic bags for the storage of soft baits, but do not allow for the use of existing bags provided by the bait manufacturers. Soft bait manufacturers are increasingly providing high-quality, serf-sealing plastic laminate bags that contain proprietary lubricants and scents that enhance the longevity and enticement of the baits. The bags are also typically composed of a laminate plastic that is resistant to ultraviolet radiation, principally because the specially colored plastic baits tend to fade from constant exposure to the sun. If the fisherman must remove the baits from the existing bag to place them in another bag, the value of the lubricants, scents, and the ultraviolet protection is lost. Moreover, the existing bag is usually discarded, thus causing a disadvantage to the environment because the bags cannot be recycled.
In the event, however, that the original protective bags are either incapable by design of satisfactorily retaining the contents, or if they become damaged, it may be necessary to place the plastic worms in a replacement bag, such as a standard self-sealing or Ziplock.RTM. bag. With current soft tackle systems, there is no easy way to secure these replacement bags to the binder, except by punching holes through the bags and attaching them to the binder rings. This method, of course, negates the advantages of having a sealed bag and can cause the bags to tear away at the punched holes when under normal stress.